Return to Labyrinth
by Daixka
Summary: Her mother went, and now it's her turn. Join Nadia as she treks through the mind-numbing labyrinth, and gets caught up with a certain Goblin King on the way. Jareth/OC
1. Chapter 1

When I was young, my mother hand-fed me all kinds of stories – fantasy, humor, even tragedies. She would tuck me in at night, my expectant face glowing in the light of my Barbie-lamp. Her moss-green eyes would twinkle with love as she retold her endless chronicles. I would listen, entranced, as the magical words poured from her lovely mouth.

But the story that I admired the most was the story of Labyrinth, the real, living account of it.

My mother always got a faraway look in her eyes, a bit of a longing as she told me it. She would speak of Jareth, the cruel Goblin King who snatched up her baby brother, and how she had thirteen hours to solve a mind-numbing labyrinth. She told me how she had befriended a goblin by the name of Hoggle, met a charming blue worm, and saved a large beast named Ludo. My mother would also recount of how she nearly went headfirst into the Bog of Eternal Stench – a bog so foul-smelling, even the tiniest drop could make you smell like cow manure for the rest of your life. She told me about Sir Didymus, a tiny fellow with a large heart. Together, they fought their way to the Goblin Castle to retrieve her baby brother.

Inside there, my mother raced against the clock, and ran into a mind-puzzling room with dozens of archways and stairs. There, Jareth tried to distract her while she tried to save her brother. And when she finally did, the Goblin King begged of her to stay with him, to love him, to fear him. She rejected him, and to this day, my mother said the hurt in his mismatched eyes was indescribable.

My mother always told me not to worry about the Goblin King. She made me swear to never say those hurtful words, "I wish the goblins would come and take you away right now!" to anyone. I promised, not knowing many years later I would knowingly break that promise.

* * *

It was an average night, dinner being done and the faint sound of a Disney Channel sitcom playing from the living room. My mother was in her office, most likely doing the bills, and my father was away on another business trip. Sir Didymus (our moody black-and-white cat) was lounging lazily in a fading sun spot. All was peaceful.

I was sitting at the kitchen table, my beaten backpack on the floor next to me. Large textbooks were scattered on the table along with many papers. My plastic reading glasses were perched upon my nose as a headache grew. _An everyday thing such as math shouldn't be this hard!_ I thought, letting out a frustrated huff of breath. My pencil tapped against the paper, its beat raggedy.

"Hey, Nadia?" my mother's voice rang out from the room over. _She must be done with her bills_, I thought, _which only meant…_

"I'm going to head to the grocery store for a bit, could you watch Jennifer, please?"

_Bam_. I withheld a sigh and put down my pencil. At least it would postpone me from doing my math homework. "Sure, Mom."

"Thanks, Nadia. I'll be back in an hour." I heard shuffling and saw my mother walk down the hall. She gave me a grateful smile before heading out the door.

"What'd she want?"

I felt my nostrils flare and my brows furrow with irritation as my younger sister walked into the kitchen. As usual, her tiny stick-arm was poised over her hip.

Jennifer and I hadn't always been so hostile to each other. As children, we would laugh happily together and do childish things that children normally do. It was when I grew older that we fell apart. I became quieter and more mature, while she became bratty and needy. I supposed it came with the age she was in, but I couldn't recall ever being that obnoxious.

"Mom's at the store, you should finish your project. Isn't it due Tuesday?" I told her, letting my anger simmer on the backburner for now.

"It's Friday." Her tone was vicious at me getting her date wrong. She frowned at me, her glossy lips set into a scowl.

"Excuse me," I retorted, my tone becoming a bit more biting. "I would appreciate if you put away your plate, too." I eyed the dirty plate in the living room.

Jennifer let out a huff of breath and crossed her arms. "I'll do it later. Geez, you're just like Mom. You're so naggy."

I turned sharply to her, my eyes burning. I nearly shouted out how incredibly rude she was being, but bit on my tongue. "I'm sorry that my flaws are that obvious to you. But you know Mom is going to ask you the same thing later, so I'd do it now."

I turned my back to her, shuffling my math papers together. I couldn't start another argument with her; it would be silly and immature. The clink of a plate meeting the counter meant that she had obeyed – for once.

The tension and hatred in the air was becoming a bit too much for me. I could feel Jennifer's brown eyes burning holes in the back of my head. I cleared my throat, turning to face her. "Jennifer, I think you should go take your shower now. I'll clean up the kitchen." I tried to make my tone as calm as I could.

"Fine." She unsuccessfully tried to flip her mousy, brown hair like the starlets on _Hannah Montana_ would, only for strands to end up in her mouth. I pretended like I didn't see it.

As I began to unload the dishwasher, I heard her feet stomp up the stairs. I smiled with relief as soon as the little monster was in her room. I still didn't understand why she was so mad at the world all the time. Was it for attention? Most probably.

Once I was finished with the kitchen, I took my backpack upstairs and tried to concentrate on my homework again. But I couldn't. There was some kind of mind-block going on and the growing storm outside didn't help at all. And my thoughts were all circling back to that one story my mother told me as a child – Labyrinth.

I finally put down my pencil and went to examine the figurine on my desk. It was of the Goblin King, whatever he looked like, standing tall and a passive expression on his porcelain face. I observed it briefly, gently brushing a stand of white-blond hair away from his eyes.

A thud from the next room awakened my senses. Jennifer let out a high-pitched squeal and another thump emitted from the room. I walked to the door, wondering what the heck could be going on.

Jennifer jumped out of her room, face white. "Nadia," she hissed between clenched teeth, "your little rodent is in my room."

I bit back a laugh, considering that Ludo (my hamster) was probably sniffing around for any leftover Halloween candy that my sister unceremoniously stashed in her room. He must've gotten out again.

"His name is Ludo, and he wouldn't hurt you," I told her as I walked into her room. I soon spotted Ludo munching on a Tootsie Roll in the corner.

"My candy!" Jennifer shrieked, racing to her precious sugar-filled taffy.

I calmly scooped up Ludo, removing the treat from his chompers. His whiskers tickled against my palm and he nibbled gently on my finger.

"That ugly little thing ate my Tootsie Roll!" Jennifer glared scaldingly at the hamster. Ludo stared back with curious eyes.

I stroked his fur as I rolled my eyes. "You shouldn't leave your candy out in the open like that."

"You shouldn't let your rodent run all around the house!"

I narrowed my eyes at her, frowning. "He accidentally got out. It's just a mistake. Chill out."

Jennifer crossed her arms and clenched her knuckles. "Learn to control it!"

I had to giggle at that point. "You can't train a hamster, Jennifer." She was acting really stupid.

"Just get out of my room!"

I smiled to myself, strolling out of her room as she slammed her door shut. I walked calmly back into my own, safely putting Ludo back into his cage. As I turned around, I spotted a leathery red book sitting on my desk. It was embellished with golden lettering that read _Labyrinth._

"_Through dangers untold, and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City to take back the child you have stolen."_

A booming thunderclap shook me out of my reverie. Jennifer was singing loudly to the music in her room. I bent my head down, trying to remember the rest of the scene.

"_For my will is as strong as yours, for my kingdom is as great…"_

I furrowed my eyebrows, reaching a mind-block. What was that line? "Damn," I muttered, "what was that line?"

Another thunderclap jiggled the house. I looked up, hearing Jennifer sing again obnoxiously through the walls of her room. I walked to the door, deciding I should ask to her turn down her music.

I rapped my knuckles against her door, and she answered with an irritable expression. "What?" she asked, nose scrunched.

"Can you possibly turn down your music? I'm trying to do my homework," I told her. Okay, that was a lie, but her music was getting on my nerves.

She put her hands on her hips, scowling at me. "No," she replied defiantly, raising her chin.

I almost wanted to smack her. Why was she being so damn rude? "I'm asking you nicely, Jennifer, could you please turn down your music?"

"No." Jennifer glared daggers at me.

"Please, Jennifer." I was becoming impatient and fed up with her. I narrowed my eyes at her.

"I said no! Are you deaf?" Great, she was becoming even more obnoxious than I thought.

"Jennifer! Would you quit being such a brat for one second and take notice to the people around you?" I nearly screamed at her, my face becoming red with anger.

"Nope." She wasn't even looking at me anymore. She was examining her badly-painted nails with a newfound interest.

I pushed past her, ripping her precious iPod from its speakers. "I've had just about enough of your rude attitude!" I yelled at her, venom dripping from every word.

Somewhere outside, an owl hooted.

Jennifer was staring at me with a mixture of rage and hurt. "You totally stole my iPod! Don't rip it out like that! You'll break it!"

I huffed out a breath, feeling my rage grow. "Is that all you care about? Your precious little mp3 player?"

"Why are you acting so mean?" Her voice edged towards a whine.

"Because you're acting like a goddamn brat!" I replied, gnashing my teeth together, gripping her iPod tightly in one hand.

"I am not!" she whined in protest, tears pinpricking in her eyes.

"I've had enough of this!" I mumbled stiffly. Feeling a burst of a vibe, I dared myself to say the childish, immature words, "I wish the goblins would come and take you away right now!"

Jennifer's face froze for a minute before crude amusement appeared. "You actually believe in that stuff?" She snorted before the lights went out.

I was so startled that I dropped her iPod. I tried to reassure myself that it was only from the storm, but Jennifer's wailings were getting to me. Could this really be happening to me?

There was little chitterings and giggles around the room. I felt my blood go cold as something beat frantically against the window. As lightning flashed, I saw white and tawny wings.

"We're going to die!" Jennifer yelled in the darkness.

"Oh, shut up!" I mumbled, eyes trained on the window. The bird continued its pursue against the window until it finally broke open.

Jennifer let out a scream as I took a step backwards.

The Goblin King was standing in my house.


	2. Chapter 2

Jennifer continued to scream until I gripped her wrist so hard I thought it would break. She quieted.

I stared at him with wide eyes as he walked closer, a smirk upon his lips.

"You're Jareth, aren't you?" I uttered out, my voice a bit shaky.

He eyed me. "Indeed."

"B-but you aren't real!" Jennifer peeped up, hiccupping a little.

Jareth's eyes flashed for a split second. "My dear Jennifer, I am as real as you. I would not say things I do not know."

Jennifer's tearstained eyes widened and she became silent as a stone.

"I'm guessing you're here to take my sister, aren't you? And I'm going to have to solve your labyrinth?"

"Why, aren't you the smart one?" Jareth's mismatched eyes twinkled with mischief. "I'm surprised the goblins haven't taken her yet. They must've forgotten." He raised a gloved hand and snapped his fingers. I felt air whoosh by and my grip on Jennifer's wrist disappear. My fear heightened.

"Now, come now, Nadia. There's no need to be frightened," Jareth coaxed.

I stared at him, blinking rapidly. "H-how do you know my name?" I stuttered, feeling ice run through my veins.

"I've known you ever since you were very little. Your mother, no doubt, told you stories of me, didn't she?" Jareth quirked an eyebrow expectantly.

I took a moment to compose myself. "Yes. You…you were the owl that I saw growing up, weren't you?" I was relieved when my voice became steady.

Jareth was silent. "Yes."

"And you know my mother is Sarah? She…she hasn't forgotten about you."

Jareth snorted, startling me. "My dear child, she could never forget about me. My labyrinth was by far the most exciting thing in her adolescence. She won't ever forget me." He murmured the last part a bit to himself, sounding only slightly doubtful.

I was quiet for a moment. "I guess I better get going, shouldn't I? Thirteen hours isn't a lot of time." I gave a tiny smile, which I'm pretty sure came out like a grimace.

Jareth only gestured towards the window. "You have thirteen hours to solve my labyrinth. If you fail to complete it, your sister becomes as good as mine and I'll transform her into a goblin. I'm supposing you know the routine."

I nodded, eyes transfixed at the castle in the distance.

"And since you know the story so well, I'm not going to bother with the crystal. You're much too smart for that." Jareth smiled, but there was a layer of mischief underneath that grin. I could tell he was up to something…

"Until next time, Jareth." I had already turned my back to him, my arms folded and my eyes scanning every aspect of the gnarling labyrinth. Sure, it looked easy from here, but once you were in it, you were as good as dead.

How did my mother get through it? She said she got help from friends, and the first friend she made was…

"Hoggle," I whispered to myself.

* * *

When I arrived just outside the labyrinth, a stout, wrinkled dwarf was shooting twinkly-things with some sort of tranquilizer. I knew then it was Hoggle.

"Fifty-seven!" he mumbled to himself as a fairy fell down, stunned.

"Excuse me?" I politely tried to interrupt, hands behind my back.

Hoggle turned towards me, mouth in a firm line. His blue eyes widened with some sort of startlement as he fumbled with his tranquilizer. "S-Sarah?" he sputtered.

I quirked an eyebrow, confused. _He must think I'm Sarah_…I thought grimly. All of my relatives think I look remarkably like my mother, much to my disappointment. I don't want to be known as 'Sarah 2' all of my life.

"Is that you Sarah?" Hoggle asked, eyes wide.

I shook my head. "No, I'm Nadia." I decided to play it cool.

Disappointment etched across his old face. "Oh. Wished away another sibling, did you? That's how it always is." He began to walk towards another group of fairies.

"Perhaps you know the way into this labyrinth?" I asked, following him. "I'm guessing you know this, but I have thirteen hours to solve this. Could you help me?"

Hoggle made a disapproving grunt and waved a hand. "The last time I helped someone through this labyrinth, I never saw 'er again. Why would I help you?"

"Because I'm her daughter."

Hoggle stopped, his tranquilizer dropping to the earth. He turned to face me, eyes almost popping out of his skull. "Y-you're Sarah's daughter?" He stared.

I nodded slowly, not wanting to push all of this on the poor creature at one time. "Yes."

"How old are you?" Hoggle asked frantically, kneading his hands.

"I'm eighteen," I answered, feeling a bit apprehensive. I didn't want Hoggle to go into a shock-attack or something.

"Eighteen…eighteen…eighteen…" he mumbled to himself. "Is your mother okay? Is she sick?"

I shook my head. "Hoggle, she's fine."

The dwarf looked up at me. "How do you know my name?" he asked suspiciously.

I looked down at my feet. "My mother told me the story of her adventure through the labyrinth when I was little. She told me about how you were her friend."

"She did?"

I nodded. "Can you help me?"

Hoggle glanced away, wringing his wrists and looking nervous. "Oh, if Jareth ever finds out I helped another one out of the labyrinth; he won't hesitate to dip me into the Bog of Eternal Stench!" I heard him mumble anxiously to himself.

"You know, Jareth doesn't have to know."

Hoggle turned to face me. "He does. He always knows. But…I couldn't betray Sarah by not helping her daughter…I'll take you as far as I can go."

I studied him, remembering what my mother said about Hoggle's 'honesty'. He was a coward, but he had a heart of gold. I nodded. "Thank you, Hoggle."

He just waved his hand and made a grunt. He waddled over to the wall as a set of doors opened. Mist billowed out from inside the labyrinth, making it seem creepier than it actually was.

"You go in there," Hoggle said, jerking a finger towards the doors.

I walked through the mist, hesitantly stepping into the labyrinth. Glancing around, I noticed there were two ways to go; left or right.

"I suppose I'll go right…" I muttered to myself. Behind me, Hoggle snorted in some sort of amusement.

"I wouldn't go either way." He crossed his stubby arms. "I have a feeling we'll meet up again sometime…so go as far as you can now." He turned around, waving a hand towards the double doors.

"Huh? Hoggle! That wasn't our plan!" I whirled around, shouting at the door. Behind the wall, I heard his chuckles become distant. I took a deep breath and exhaled; he wasn't going to be much help.

I turned to face the cluttered path ahead of me. It seemed to stretch for miles, the trees in the distance fading into the mist. If I didn't die from tripping over a branch first, I'd most probably get swallowed by the fog.

I began my trek, carefully avoiding debris and trying to stay positive. Thirteen hours was long enough, right? My mother figured it out, couldn't I?

As I continued walking, I realized I wasn't getting anywhere. There were no turns or dead ends anywhere. It was one big stretch of path.

"This is stupid!" I finally yelled, kicking a nearby branch, snapping it in two. "Stupid, stupid labyrinth! Stupid, stupid fairytale!" I let out my frustrations by pounding my palms against the stone wall.

_Nadia, settle down_, my mind told me, _punching the wall will get you nowhere. Do you remember anything about the story?_

I let out a breath, trying to recompose myself. Ten minutes into the labyrinth and I was already losing it. _Just keep walking_…I told myself.


	3. Chapter 3

Even after walking for what seemed like forever, I was still nowhere. I felt very laughable and humiliated. I slumped against the stone wall, feeling hopeless. Jennifer was as good as gone in my hands.

"'Allo."

I looked up, eyes skimming around me. "Um…hello." I had no idea where the voice was coming from.

"Down here."

Around my feet, there was a bright blue worm slithering towards me. Tufts of sapphire hair jutted out from its head. "'Allo."

I blinked, believing I had finally gone off the deep end. Deciding that since I was already insane, I began to converse with the worm, "Do you know the way through this labyrinth?"

The worm looked thoughtful for a moment before shaking its tiny head. "Nope. I've never been able to explore this huge labyrinth by myself." His small voice carried a hint of longing.

I sighed, burying my head into my arms. "Someone very important to me is running out of time. I've been trying to get through this labyrinth, but it keeps going straight!"

The worm let out a warm chuckle. "There are turns and openings all around you! Just take a look!" He nodded towards the stone wall adjacent to me.

I squinted, only seeing a filthy stone wall. "I'm sorry, I don't see it."

"Try walking through it. You'll know what I mean."

Quirking an eyebrow at the worm, I silently stood and wandered over to the wall. I warily went to place my palm upon the stone, only for my hand to slip past it. As my eyes adjusted, I realized it was an illusion. Or was it?

I walked through it, smiling. I turned back to the worm with a grateful look upon my face. "Thank you!"

"Go left! Right will only lead you to certain doom," the worm peeped up.

I glanced sideways and noticed there were two ways. "Oh, thank you!" I began to walk down the long, winding path that seemed quite similar to the other. _This is easy_, I thought to myself, _Jareth thinks he can beat me, hah!_

As I dwelled further into the labyrinth, mist began to billow around me as if the walls were leaking smoke. I blinked, noticing it was becoming thicker as I moved on. I let out a cough as I removed my plastic glasses. _Why did I still have those anyways?_ I thought unconsciously, my feet still moving into the sea of mist.

A loud, guttural growl broke me from my petty thoughts. A large, animal-like silhouette was outlined against the fog, thrashing around violently. It gave another thundering roar, panting and grunting. I took an automatic step back, my heart leaping with fear.

_Mom said nothing about snarling fog beasts!_ I thought in a panic, moving backwards. _Maybe the worm was lying!_

"Who goes?" The voice from the monster was low and husky, very fitting for a mysterious beast of his sort. It also seemed haggard and creaky.

I swallowed bravely, balling my fists. "N-N-Nadia," I answered, feeling my knees begin to shake.

The mist seemed to be thickening every second. I realized the mist was emitting from the beast itself as it rumbled its way closer. I got a good look at it as it sat right in front of me.

It seemed like fog was pouring from every pore of its body. Its face was very wolf-like; long snout, pointed ears, and cruel eyes. Its body, however, possessed the characteristics of a feline; long, lanky, and poised. The mere size of it was enough to make me think of all the monsters that I thought were huge.

"I know of no Nadias." The beast narrowed its milky eyes at me. I could see its lips begin to pull back from its mouth, exposing a set of sharp, foggy teeth.

"I'm terribly sorry for intruding," I hurried, "but I'm trying to solve this labyrinth. Do…do you think you could help me?"

The beast rose from its seat, eyeing me all the while. "Why would I help you? A foolish, childish human girl," he spat. "Our beloved Goblin King has lured in another one, hasn't he? You'll never get out of this labyrinth."

As its words sunk in, I realized it was right. I could never solve this labyrinth by myself. I was hopeless.

"You mortals disgust me. You wished away someone, didn't you? Took things for granted? Yes, all of you are the same. Stupid and hopeless." The beast circled me, taunting me with its harsh words.

I lowered my eyes with shame, feeling the earth tremble as the beast came closer. I only looked up when I felt a cool hand intertwine with my own. I was staring at a man dressed in a gray cloak, a misty appearance about him.

"You think you'll be able to solve this labyrinth just because your mother did? How very foolish of you," he breathed, leaning close to my face. He smiled wickedly, revealing pointed teeth similar to his wolf-form.

I tried to pull away but his grip was locked onto my arm. "Let me go!" I shrieked, tugging and thrashing to get away. I was sure my arm was going to hurt like a bitch later.

Almost effortlessly, he pulled me closer to him. "How very sad; not a creature seems to hear you. Not even Jareth, tsk. Maybe you are worthless to him." He traced my jaw with a leather glove. His smile broadened as I shivered.

"Get away from 'er!"

I whipped my head around, trying to locate the source of the familiar voice. But the fog was impossible to see in.

Suddenly, the grip on my arm was gone and so was the fog. Hoggle was standing next to me, an enraged expression on his face.

"How dare he? Damn you, Jareth!" he shouted with a colossal amount of fury. He shook his small fist in the air.

I shook my head, trying to clear my mind. The fog seemed to seep into my brain, making everything hazy. "Hoggle…what happened?"

Hoggle turned to face me, his eyebrows dipping. "That no-good fog monster you just saw was only a trap set by Jareth. No doubt he played the part himself. He's only trying to distract you."

"Jareth was the fog monster?" I was catching on quite slowly.

Hoggle let out a sigh. "Yes."

Everything clicked again and I was left wallowing in the memory of the encounter. If that was really Jareth, did he honestly mean those harsh words? _Probably_, I thought bitterly.

"Come now, you need to continue. You've already wasted nearly an hour with your dwindlings," Hoggle snapped.

I blinked, shaking my head. "Alright, but you owe me one. You left me on my lonesome."

Hoggle chortled as we began to walk forwards. "I thought you could handle the first part on your own. Guess I was wrong."

I grew defensive. "Hey! It's not my fault I was assaulted with some crazy Jareth-form!"

Hoggle merely shook his head and chuckled. "Just be wary in this labyrinth. Nothing is what it seems."

_Sounds like some Alice in Wonderland duo_, I thought as we continued. I wondered if it was true.

Alright, let's overview the rules I've learned so far; don't take things for granted and nothing is what it seems here. Okay, easy enough.

But this is just the beginning.


	4. Chapter 4

We continued to dwell deeper into the labyrinth. I felt fairly confident now with Hoggle by my side to guide me in the right direction.

At the moment, we had passed the inner walls of the labyrinth and were heading into the very belly of the beast, as to speak.

Hoggle was silent, just waddling along. He had spoken little to me as we went along, especially after the incident with the Jareth-form. I suddenly felt very small and childish. Here I was, stuck in some fairytale land with a dwarf as a guide and the clock tick-tocking away. I now understood my mother's frustration. I vaguely wondered how Jennifer was doing. She was no doubt making Jareth go insane. _Hmph, he deserves it…_I thought bitterly.

Meanwhile, at the castle…

The small form of a prepubescent girl was curled up in the fetal position as raunchy goblins giggled and pointed fingers at her. Jennifer was partially hidden in the corner of the filthy room, her stick arms covering her eyes. This had to be a nightmare, it had to be. She wondered if her sister did mean those nasty words. What if she wasn't even trying to solve the labyrinth? A stake of panic shot through the girl's heart.

Jareth, in the other hand, had a hand poised over the bridge of his nose. His eyes were closed, his brows furrowed in concentration. The beginning of a headache was forming and the drunken roars of the goblins around him didn't help much at all. The man let out a sigh, cracking open his mismatched eyes to stare at the wished-away child in the corner.

She had been pretty quiet the time she had been here. Jennifer, as he observed since her birth, was an arrogant type of child. She had grown up spoiled rotten, much to Jareth's surprise. Sarah was not one to spoil her children, so Jareth supposed it was the child's father's fault. Though, the time she was here, she had been curled up in the corner, eyes closed and skin pale. Jareth wondered if she was hungry or thirsty, but a nasty part of him willed himself not to become caring in front of his goblin people. He'd give her something later.

But…his thoughts went back to the girl running his labyrinth. When she was born, Sarah called on Jareth. It was highly unusual for her to call on him, especially after not seeing him for many years. She had explained to him that if anything happened to her and her husband (Jareth had flinched at the word), to take her daughters to the Underground. But she failed to mention taking them before anything happened to her.

And then Jareth watched Sarah's daughters grow. Nadia had been a quiet, reserved girl her entire life. She would prefer spending an afternoon indoors, a good book clutched in her hands, than going outdoors and getting muddy and sweaty. She had a small group of friends, who, over time, evaporated from Nadia's reach. She was now grown into a young woman whose childhood innocence was not far short of leaving her. Jareth realized this only a year ago, when he had been watching her at some party. She was reading in the corner of the basement when an obviously-drunk boy tried to hit on her. She handled the situation by herself, but Jareth had understood that she was no longer considered a child.

He knew the labyrinth would be no problem for her. Jareth was running out of ideas – and fast. Sarah was the first to ever finish his labyrinth, and that was ages ago. But Nadia had the upper hand. She had grown up listening and reading the story. Jareth had to think fast.

"Would ye Majesty be interested in some ale?" A drunken goblin prodded Jareth in the knee, swaying slightly on his feet. He blinked up at his king with red, watery eyes before hiccupping.

Jareth stared at the goblin with annoyance before kicking it away. His headache was beginning to grow and throb tremendously. He stood, clasping his crop in his gloved hand.

A hush fell over the goblins in the room as Jareth stood. A few of the intoxicated let out mumbles. The King's people looked up at him expectantly.

"I would like to be alone," he announced, glaring at every creature in the room. They stood in their spots. "Now." They scrambled for the door.

Once the room was empty, nix a few hens, Jareth walked over to the curled up girl in the corner.

"Jennifer," he whispered quietly, placing a hand on her shoulder. The girl flinched, tightening herself into a ball.

Jareth sighed. "Jennifer, I'm not going to hurt you. Are you hungry? Thirsty?"

The girl lifted her head and stared up at him. "Where's Nadia?" she demanded.

"She's running the labyrinth, obviously."

Jennifer looked away for a moment. "She's…she's not going to get hurt, is she?"

Jareth quirked an eyebrow curiously. "Oh, why the concern?"

Jennifer went silent. "I…I am a bit hungry…" she mumbled after a moment's silence.

Jareth nodded. "I'll be sure to have something brought to you." He turned his back to her, ready to leave when she called out to him.

"Don't hurt Nadia."

Jareth froze in his spot. "My dear child, I cannot promise her safety, but as long as she stays away from me, she'll be fine."

With that, he left the room.


End file.
